Chiayi Tourist Winery of Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation

The Chiayi Winery was founded in 1916 (the 5th year of the Taisho era). Most of its factory buildings were wooden structures, covering an area of only 2,945 ping (approximately 9,735 square meters). In 1943, during World War II, the Japanese, seeking to evade U.S. air raids, established a branch facility at Erwanping at the foot of Alishan to brew sake. However, most of the Chiayi Winery's buildings and equipment were damaged by bombing. After World War II in 1945, it was taken over by the Taiwan Provincial Monopoly Bureau and underwent extensive repairs. In 1949, the Erwanping branch was dissolved due to its small scale and transport challenges. In the initial post-WWII period, the factory occupied 3.7334 hectares. Between 1966 and 1983, the factory's land area was progressively acquired and expanded to 3.985 hectares, with continuous upgrades and additions to its brewing equipment. In 1967, improved quality of Kaoliang liquor led to a surge in sales, making the existing production facilities inadequate. In June of that year, approval was granted for expansion and increased production. The expansion project was completed in September 1970, spanning three years and two months. It involved 205 electrical, mechanical, and civil engineering projects. Twenty-eight old wooden buildings were demolished (seven buildings were retained: the intermediate testing workshop built in November 1924; the boiler room, hardware warehouse, re-distilling workshop, and koji production workshop built in April 1930; the packaging workshop built in March 1934; and the machinery repair and carpentry workshop built in March 1937). New reinforced concrete and reinforced brick factory buildings were constructed, including the administrative building, Kaoliang Liquor Production Facilities No. 1 and 2, bulk storage warehouses for Kaoliang and wheat, raw material warehouses, and finished product warehouses. The total new building area was 25,560 square meters, with an expenditure of NT$107 million. To accommodate local government urban development and expand production capacity, the Chiayi Winery received approval from the provincial government to relocate in two phases to the Minxiong Industrial Park in Chiayi County. The first phase, the construction of the Shaoxing Wine factory, commenced in September 1983 and was completed in December 1985. The second phase, the relocation of the Kaoliang Liquor factory, broke ground in July 1990 and was inaugurated in November 1997. On February 25, 1999, after 83 years of producing fragrant spirits, the old Chiayi Winery officially ceased operations. On March 1, 2003, the land and buildings of the old factory were transferred to the National Property Administration for management. The Chiayi Winery is now divided into a main hall and a brewing machinery exhibition area. Nearly 1,000 ping (approximately 3,300 square meters) of space showcase the winery's century-long brewing history. This rich wine museum also offers on-site tastings. (Don't drink and drive)